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February 21, 2008

Ashbury International Group Inc. (AIG) had an interesting .338 Lapua Magnum modular sniper rifle / anti-materiel rifle a.k.a. modular long-range-interdiction rifle at their booth at SHOT Show 2008 called the Asymmetric Warrior ASW338LM Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) (MOD-1A2) that was built using their Folding Rifle Stock System Tactical SABER-FORSST Modular Stock Chassis System (MSCS) with unitized monolithic Mil-Std-1913 "Picatinny" rail (0-thru-60MOA) and Surgeon XL Action (SXL-A2) bolt action with integrated 30MOA Picatinny scope rail, and was designed and developed to allow a sniper to engage and neutralize enemy personnel and "lightly armored threats" at ranges of up to 1500 yards during day and night, and in the near-infrared (night vision) and true infrared (IR) / thermal spectrums.

DefenseReview’s time at each company’s booth was very limited, so we didn’t get to spend as much time at the Ashbury booth as we would have liked, nor did we get to talk with the Ashbury representatives as much as we would have liked. However, Morris Peterson, Ashbury’s President & CEO, and Richard Hall, Ashbury’s Vice President of Business Development, were both very personable and enthusiastic, and assisted us as much as they could in the short time we were at the AIG booth.

While we were there, we picked up an interesting piece of literature on the Ashbury International Group Rapid Product Development Center (RPDC) (part of the Engineering Services Group) which can rapidly fabricate 3D (3-D) physical objects directly from CAD data sources using Solidworks and Pro-E CAD software. Basically, it’s a state-of-the-art rapid-prototyping facility.

Included in the package is a "field operations load out kit / deployment transit case for transporting the rifle, various accessories and ammo.

The basic rifle weighs 17 lbs.

There are some upgrade options available to assist in fulfilling end-user and mission-specific requirements, including an ASW338LM Sniper Equipment Suite, Modular Universal Sniper Accessory System (MUSAS) and various user-configurable modifications.

The Ashbury FRSST SABER-FORSST MSCS is designed to be highly ergonomic and constructed primarily from high-strength aerospace-grade aluminum alloy. It should be noted that the heatshield (a.k.a. heat shield) appears to be made from carbon fiber. The system features a precision bedding-less action interface, and accepts both 5-round and 10-round detachable box mags. The folding buttstock is available in both right and left-hand config, and is retractable/telescoping and fully adjustable. The standard forend railtube is a quad rail or "Quattro", but additional interchangeable forend rail tube designs are available.

The Ashbury modular stock chassis system can be used to "enhance existing bolt-action rifle platforms" like the M40A3 (Rem700 S/A) and M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) (Rem700 L/A) rifles.

Defense Review also got some literature on AIG’s ACTI Over-Garment Suite, which was designed and developed under the Advanced Camouflage Technology Initiative (ACTI) in order to provide military and law enforcement personnel with "environmentally specific camouflage patterns; scientifically, behaviorally, and geometrically designed to enhance visual deception [and, most likely, visual disruption] for personnel, shelters, weapons, equipment and tactical vehicles for particular geographic regions."

The following comes from Ashbury’s product literature, the ACTI Over-Garment Suite:

"The ACTI Over-Garment Suite is environmentally texture-matched for global Arid and Semi-Arid regions from low to high elevations. Loose Over-Garments (like military ‘Over-Whites’) help break up the human form, color, shape and shadow. They also provide the user with the flexibility to change camoufalge patterns for different operational areas. The ACTI Over Garment Suite is comprised of a specially-designed smock, bibbed over-pants and pack cover. The garment suite design is an integral part of the toatal concealment approach to modern camouflage.

ACTI is a systematic camouflage technology design for specific environments, terrain and elevations specifically to defeat human visual detection and recognition as there is no universal camouflage!"

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.